All the President's Men: Meet Emmanuel Macron's Closest Allies

Former investment banker and civil servant Emmanuel Macron has become the youngest leader of the Fifth Republic, shooting to power from obscurity thanks in no small measure to a diverse team of young technocrats intermixed with veteran politicians. Here's a list of the closest allies tipped for top jobs in the Elysee Palace.

Emmanuel Macron and Alexis Kohler

© AFP 2023 / JACQUES DEMARTHON

Alexis Kohler, 44, is said to be one of Macron's closest friends and allies. Kohler served as Macron's chief of staff at the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, informally known as Bercy. He is rumored to become the president's chief of staff.

According to Le Monde's sources, not a single major policy decision during the election campaign was made without Kohler's input.

Julien Denormandie, spokesman of French President elect Emmanuel Macron of the political movement En Marche !, or Onwards !, attends a news conference at the campaign headquarters in Paris, France, May 8, 2017.

© REUTERS / Charles Platiau

Julien Denormandie, 36, serves as deputy secretary-general of En Marche!, a social-liberal political party founded by Emmanuel Macron in April 2016. Denormandie, who also worked with the president-elect at Bercy, is said to have been focused on the grassroots outreach which has helped to turn the new movement into a force to be reckoned with.

Economist and engineer Denormandie, who worked for the French Treasury in Iran and at the French Embassy in Egypt, is expected to become Macron's economic advisor.

One of the youngest members of the team, Ismael Emelien, 30, served as Macron's communication advisor while at Bercy and a top political strategist during the campaign. Emelien, known as Macron's right-hand man, is also rumored to be offered a top job in the Elysee.

Mayor of Lyon Gerard Collomb waits for French presidential election candidate for the En Marche ! movement Emmanuel Macron prior to the unveil of his full programme eight weeks from election day, on March 2, 2017 in Paris.

© AFP 2023 / Lionel BONAVENTURE

Gerard Collomb, mayor of Lyon, the third biggest city in France, and Richard Ferrand, General Secretary of En Marche!, are said to be the most likely candidates to be offered the post of prime minister. In 2014, Ferrand worked closely with Macron when then Prime Minister Manuel Valls tasked them to devise a plan to reform regulations based around labor. In 2015, he steered Macron's bill through the National Assembly.

Both Collomb and Ferrand are some of Macron's early supporters. This, according to Paul Smith, an associate professor at the University of Nottingham, is a major factor for the president-elect. In an interview with Izvestiya, Smith likened Macron to General Charles de Gaulle, who established the Fifth Republic, when it comes to rewarding loyalty. 

Richard Ferrand, General Secretary of the political movement En Marche !, or Onwards !, leaves the campaign headquarters of French President Elect Emmanuel Macron after results in the second round vote of the 2017 French presidential elections, in Paris, France, May 7, 2017.

© REUTERS / Gonzalo Fuentes

Current Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian has also been named as a possible prime minister in Macron's government. Le Drian, one of the most popular and respected politicians in the country, endorsed Macron in March over a candidate from his own party.

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